Why Open Source Software Developers are Good Marketers

“I have been trying to digest two unrelated stories from last
week. The first was the report by the Standish Group on the $60
Billion dollars open source is purported to be costing the
proprietary software industry. The second was Steve Reubel’s, ‘The
Web 2.0 World is Skunk Drunk on Its Own Kool-Aid.’ As I looked
introspectively into these stories I wondered how relevant they
were. I came to a realization that while the one of the most
commonly espoused virtues of open source is more eyeballs
generating better code that perhaps one of the least mentioned
strengths is their marketing ability. Bear with me as try to
explain why.

“Last week I was astounded to see the success of my friends at
MIndTouch in an announcement detailing their progress over the last
two years. I must admit that every time I hear the word wiki I
think of the 80’s song by Newcleus, ‘Jam On It.’ I know that dates
me but I keep hearing the final chorus in my head,
‘Wikki-wikki-wikki-wikki…'”

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